Alphabetical and numerical character



Oct. 20, 1953 c. A. DINLOCKER ET AL ,7

ALPHABETICAL AND NUMERICAL CHARACTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 30, 1949 Fig.1.

. W z W w W @LW 0 mm cu m 4 Q y 1 a g ,7 W iw v 2 w J u 9 i WF 7 w J J w ,4 I E W.

c. A. DINLOCKER ET AL ,750

ALPHABETICAL AND NUMERICAL CHARACTER Oct. 20, 1953 Filed NOV. 30, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mentors: Charla; flflildpck'er am flloisflsiezen Patented Oct. 20, 1953 .AIZPHABETICAL AND NUMERICAL CHARACTER Charles :AuDinlocker and. =Alnis.F..-;Steie1'.t, Philadelphia, .Ba.

Substituted "for "abandoned application Serial No.

"405318, August "1 1941. "This applieation -No- =veniber 30, 1949, Serial No. 3130;2'1-2 (Cl. e40113.6)

.3 Claims. .1

:(Dur invention :relates a-to at :new and useful alphabetical and? numerical character z=and especiallyrsuchicharactersimade :of 'foldable :paper and other suitable rthin sheetzmaterial for usesaselementsmf a sign. This.applicationziaazsubstitute forabandonediapplicatiolrSerial: No. :405',1 IS-ifiled August .1, 1941.

An :object of' the invention is to provide an exceedingly 5811111318, inexpensive and effective character-'ofrthis kindihaving three dimensions, namely, height, .width and depth.

Another obj ect:* of this invention is to produce a rcharacter cf the kindmentioned" in which the sidesithat give :depth to the character are of angular formation so 'asto be readily :adaptable to characters of difierent configurations.

:A'I'furtherobj ectof the: present invention is to provide 'a character that maybe formed from a blank cut out by a-di-e used'in an automatic or non-automatic cutting and scoring or folding machine :so that said blanks can be =-produced inexpensively.

A still further object of the invention is to 'provide 'meansfor reinforcingthe characters and the reinforcing means "may include or carry means for suspending the *characters -'on a support or background.

With the above and other objects: in view-this invention consists of certain detai1s"of--construction andcombination of elements to be hereinafter setiorth and 'then designated by'the claims.

'-In order-that those skilled in the art" to which this invention "appertains may understand how to=-make and use -'the same, *wewill descri-be the construction of certain characters in detail, re- 'ferrin-g by numerals to= the accompanying drawing, in -Which:

Fig. 1 is afront elevation-of-one character illustrating theiirvention.

Figfi2 is' arear elevation thereof.

-Eig. 3 "is-a plan view of-oneof the blanks' used inproducing the character illustrated -'-in-Fig. -1.

Fig. '3A is a's'im i-lar'view of the, other "blank used informing" the character shown in Fig. 1

1 Fig.4 is a plan 'orface viewf'of'jthe reinforcing member for-the same "character.

"Figf'fi' is'asection 'onthe line 5--5'"of' Fig. l.

Figf'fi is a'section'on the line 6'60f' Fig. 1.

Fig.7 is-a perspective'view of *a portionofthe reinforcing member "with "one of .the .tabs protracted.

Figra is -a front 'elevation ofanother character illustrating the invention.

" Fig.-'9 is arear elevation of Fig. 8.

-'lig. 10 is*aplan View of the single blan'k' used .2 for pro,dueing the character illustrated rin vFig. .8.

.Fig. 11' isa section-on .thedine I-I .I-I of Fig.3

:In :earrying tout (our invention as ,herein rembodied, particular {reference being first .had to Figs. 1 to 7;inclusive. I5 represents the-main or primary blankfor:producing plain angular characters but-inthe ease ofsuch-1etters;as ,"-F and the like an; additional blank, to be later-idescribed, tis required.

iThe-blankt I 5 consistsofna-sheetmflpaper fashioneditqprovide 'a' body-I B'WithLlegsZ I11 projecting at suitable angles from .the ends of said body. The bodyand legs are {positively jdefinedaby the oblique transverse :fold lines 118.

The body I6 and legs I! are provided WithglOIlgitudinal folderscore-lines 1952,01 and {'21 -,t;0 define side wall areas -22 and edge flange area-s {:23 and the flange areas 1 of the legs are separated ir thei'flange: areas -;of {the doody.

Also :the -;outer end 10f eeach aleg -has za s1it 32 ,4 extending rfrom= adjacent "one .side :,.of the outer .end of the 1 leg v-:to ithe -;centra1:.:fo1d :lline 20 :of the samecleg :oblique:.to;,said::foldzline anidgfroin the innerrendof :saidsslit extendszanrobliqueg fold line 2 5:.to;the outer. end :ofea stde2'fold:1ine,;as: 1-9,:and between said slit zu'tandxttheffold'lineiextends another fold line ".26 thus defining :..a triangular areatfi'i; and a tab :28. aFurther-,:a-:fold;1inei29foxtendsrfromvthe inner'enduof the slitfM :to the outer end-.- of: theother i-longitudinaL: side; fold;- line 2 I of the lag-and if-rom the point -of-.-meeting :of the Lfoldtlines :12 I ,and 22.9 :to the K511133242 extends :a fold linet30 Jdefiningxa :SBcOIIdbllt smaller zatrian- Ell-13,1: area :3 I andza; tab.i32.

secondary blank .33 also :consists: of paper fashioned 'to provide I a separate 1 leg .34 which is provided with 'longitudinal fol'd oriscoretlinese35, 36 an'd:' -3I tofide'fine sidewall-areas 39-.andi edge flange areas 139. Similar to the legs II ,sthisrseparate leg has a 'slit iliiltextending "from adjacent one side o'ftheouter end-of saidseparatefleg to the central fold line 36 oblique to said fol'd'line 6 and from thez inner end-of saiduslit extends an oblique fold line 4 I to the outer:- end-of-:a .side -'fo1d "line; as 31; andbetween said :slit lfl and the fold line '4 I eXtendsanOtherjfOI'd line :42 defining a 'triangular areafl and a'tab M. Also -a- 'fold line tii extends-from the inner end: of the slit 40 to the: outer end of the other longitudinal side fold line,-as 3-5, of saidseparateleg*and 'fromtl-ie point of meeting of the-fold -1-ines-35 and 45 to the slit Mexten'ds a fold-lineflfi defining 'atrianguI-ararea dl andatab' 4fl. "Further the inner end oftheblank, constituting the separate leg- 34, is'provided iwithoblique fcld lines=49 -and '50 ex- 3 tending from the side fold lines 35 and 3'! respectively to the central fold line 35 defining attaching tabs 5! from the side wall areas 38.

In forming the character 52, herein shown as the letter E, from the above described blanks, the primary blank I5 is folded on the medial fold lines 26 to provide the oppositely inclined side walls 22 and this folding of the blank draws in the leg portions I! by the creation of an inside corner I8 and an outside corner l8. The flange areas 23 are turned in to provide attaching elements 23, Figs. 2 and 6, which may be wide enough to overlap one another or fastened by an intervening web or attached to a support. Similarly the triangular areas 21 and 30 of each leg I! are folded towards each other on the fold lines 25 and 29 and the larger area 21 is positioned on the outside of the smaller area 30 to form an inclined end wall 21' and the tabs 28 and 3| are turned in so that the tab 28 provides an attaching element 28', Fig. 2, for the same purpose as specified for the first mentioned attaching elements. The overlapping triangular areas 21 and 3| as well as the overlapping flaps 28 and 32 may be fastened together, as by an adhesive.

Likewise the secondary blank 33 is folded or bent along the medial fold line 36 to provide the inclined side walls 38', the same as the side walls 22, and the flange areas 39 are turned in to form attaching elements 39 and also the triangular areas 43 and 41 are folded towards each other so that the larger area 43 overlaps the smaller area 4'! to provide the inclined end wall 43. The tabs 44 and 48 are bent in to form an attaching element 44.

The inner end of the secondary blank is folded along the fold lines 4| to provide the flaring inclined edges 49, Fig. 3A, which fit the inclination of the walls 22 and the attaching tabs 5| which may be secured to the outer face of said side walls 22' within the boundaries of the side walls 38', which fit the inclination of the walls '22 and the attaching tabs 5i which may be secured to the outer face of said side walls 22 within the boundaries of the side walls 38, as by an adhesive, to complete the character.

The character thus produced may be stiffened and strengthened by securing it to a reinforcing member 53 composed of cardboard and fashioned to the outline of the particular character with which it is to be used. The paper character is fastened to reinforcing member 53 by the attaching elements and to provide for the center limb of the reinforcing member the flange area 23 at the inner side of the primary blank is slit transversely at two points indicated by the numeral 54 to partially sever the material between the locations of the slits which material is then turned in to lie above the reinforcing member as shown by dotted lines at 55 in Fig. 1, although said material can be completely removed.

This reinforcing member may carry suspending means, and a convenient manner of providing such suspending means is to partially cut out areas of the reinforcing member to form tabs 56 which can be bent outward on the fold lines 51 as shown in Fig. 7. These suspending means or tabs may be inserted in slots in a support or background to temporarily hold the character in place and said suspending means may be bent over onto the reverse face of the support to prevent accidental displacement of the character.

Referring now to Figs. 8 to 11, inclusive, we have illustrated a different character, particularly the letter R, completely formed from a single blank and including a curved portion as well as the straight portions.

In this, the blank 58 is fashioned to provide a stem 59, a curved branch 60 and a tail 6|. All of the above mentioned parts are defined by transverse fold lines 62, between the stem and curved branch, and 63, between the curved branch and tail.

The stem, curved branch and tail are provided with longitudinal fold or score lines 64, E5 and 66 parallel with the straight edges and concentric with the curved edges to define side wall areas 61 and side flange areas 68. The side flange areas of each part of the blank are separated from one another and said side flange areas in the region of the curved portion or branch are slit radially to provide a multiplicity of serrations 69.

The outer or free ends of the stem 58 and the tail 6| are formed the same as the outer ends of the legs in the first described character and the same reference numerals will be used; therefore, a slit 24 extends from adjacent one side of the outer end of the members, namely, the stem and the tail, to the medial fold line 65 oblique to said fold line. From the inner end of said slit extends an oblique fold line 25 to the outer end of a side fold line, and between said slit 24 and the aforementioned fold line extends another fold line 26 thus defining a triangular area 21 and a tab 28. Further a fold line 29 extends from the inner end of the slit 2d to the outer end of the other side fold line and from the point of meeting of the fold lines 2! and 29 to the slit 24 extends a fold line 30 defining a smaller triangular area 3| and a tab 32.

In forming the character 10, herein shown as the letter R, from the last described blank 58, said blank is folded on the medial fold lines 65 to provide the oppositely inclined side walls 59' and this folding of the blank shortens the curve of the branch 60 and draws the tail 6| towards the stem 59 by the creation of the inside corner 62 and the outside corner 62 along the fold line 62 and a similar inside corner 63' and outside corner 63 along the fold line 63 to give proper shape to the character it illustrated in Fig. 8.

The flange areas 68 are turned in to provide attaching elements 68', Figs. 9 and 11, and it will be noted that the serrated portions when on the inside of a curve spread out but when on the outside a curve close up and overlap one another. The attaching elements may be utilized the same as previously set forth with relation to the first described character. The triangular areas 21 and 3| which form the inclined end wall 21' at the terminal of any part of the character and the associated tabs 28 and 32 which provide the attaching element 28' are identical in construction with the similarly numbered ones first described.

The character H! may be stiffened and strengthened by a reinforcing member H which, like any other, must have the outlines or shape of the character to be attached thereto. The reinforcing member may carry suspending tabs 12 and for convenience and cheapness these tabs may be formed by partially cutting out areas of the reinforcing member and bending them along the fold lines 13.

While we have shown and described only the construction of the letters E and R it is to be understood that the character may be any letter of the alphabet or any numeral since they are composed of either straight or curved parts or combinations thereof and the illustrated characters disclose both kinds of formations.

Of course we do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction as these may be varied within the limits of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of our inven-- tion.

Having described our invention what we claim as new and useful is:

1. A character of the kind described comprising a blank or" paper fashioned to a shape that when folded will result in a predetermined con-=- figuration and having three longitudinal parallel fold lines defining joined side walls which assume inclined positions and side flanges that project inwardly to function as attaching elements, each free end having an oblique slit extending from adjacent one side or the extreme outer end to the medial fold line and also having fold lines extending obliquely from the inner end of the slit to outer ends of the side fold lines and further having fold lines extending from the outer ends of said. side fold lines and defining triangular areas and tabs which overlap and function as an inclined end Wall and an additional attaching element, reinforcing member having the shape of the predetermined character and to which the character is secured by the attaching elements, and suspending tabs on said reinforcing member formed by partially cutting out areas from said reinforcing member,

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein portions of the said flanges are serrated.

3. A device of the kind described produced from a foldable paper blank and comprising inclined joined side walls and inturned attaching ele ments conforming to the shape of a predetermined character, triangular end walls produced by folding extensions of the side walls into overlapping relation, a reinforcing member having the shape of the predetermined character and to which the preformed character is secured, and suspending means carried by said reinforc ing member.

CHARLES A. DINLOCKER. ALOIS- F. STEIERT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 196,358 Heath Oct. 23, 1877 215,443 Dodge May 20, 1879 513,281 Rodwell Jan. 23, 1894 1,492,951 Auerbach May 6, 1924 2,070,478 Fortunato Feb. 9, 1937 2,146,318 Viscount Feb. 7, 1939 2,185,866 Paige Jan. 2, 1940 2,318,198 Clarke May 4, 1943 2,407,431 Madsen Sept. 10, 1946 2,491,002 Domecki Dec. 13, 1949 2,501,084 Ownbey Mar. 21, 1950 

